Monsta
, also known as Beluga or Blubba, is a recurring enemy in the Bubble Bobble series. One of the most common enemies in the series, Monstas appear in nearly every single Bubble Bobble game, and have a recurring role as a playable character in the Bust-A-Move games. Biography Appearance Monstas resemble round purple whale-like creatures, sporting a small tail and two fins on either side of their body. They are generally depicted as having red eyes and wide mouths. Bubble Memories features a green variant of the Monsta with yellow eyes, but the two behave functionally identical to one another. Abilities Monstas do not have many abilities outside of being able to fly. They generally cruise around the stage, changing trajectory upon bumping into walls. The Monstas appearing in Rainbow Islands are able to fire out a spread of six small Skel-Monstas at the player, an ability which has not returned in any other game since. History ''Chack'n Pop Monstas first appear in ''Chack'n Pop, first appearing in the opening cutscene, stealing the Hearts from Chack'n and Miss Chack'n. They are the most common enemies, attacking by flying around the level and attempting to hit the player. Monstas hatch from eggs that are hanging from the ceiling. ''Bubble Bobble Monstas reappear in ''Bubble Bobble, behaving similarly to their appearance in Chack'n Pop. They fly around blindly, bouncing off of walls and attempting to hit the player. Two Giant Monstas appear on Round 64, carrying Betty and Patty to the bottom level of the Cave of Monsters. An invincible skeletal Monsta known as Skel-Monsta also appears, showing up if the player takes too long to complete a level. ''Rainbow Islands Monstas return as enemies in ''Rainbow Islands, appearing in the game's final world, Bubble Island. The Monstas encountered in this title have the ability to fire a spread of six projectiles shaped like small Skel-Monstas. ''Parasol Stars Monstas appear exclusively in the Underworld in ''Parasol Stars. They act identically to their appearance in Bubble Bobble, but appear significantly larger than other portrayals, and have yellow eyes instead of red ones. ''Bubble Bobble Part 2 Monstas reappear in ''Bubble Bobble Part 2, behaving identically to their appearance in Bubble Bobble. Later levels of the game feature Monstas with white sheets covering them known as Ghost Monstas. The sheets can be knocked off by a single bubble, turning the enemies back into regular Monstas. The Monstas in this game have yellow eyes, similar to their appearance in Parasol Stars. In the North American manual for Bubble Bobble Part 2, Monstas are known as Slider. ''Bubble Bobble Junior Monstas appear yet again in ''Bubble Bobble Junior, acting and looking identically to their appearance in Bubble Bobble Part 2. The final boss of the game, Great Skel, has three Monstas circling around him at the beginning of the fight, who must be defeated before damaging him. ''Bubble Symphony Monstas appear once again in ''Bubble Symphony, behaving similarly to many of their previous appearances. A large caped Monsta known as Super Monsta appears as the boss of the Water Fall and Japan-esqe levels. ''Bust-A-Move A Monsta is the third opponent faced in the Vs. Mode in the SNES version of ''Bust-A-Move. They also appear during regular gameplay in all versions of the game, trapped inside of the purple bubbles. ''Bust-A-Move 2 A Monsta is the first opponent in the Vs. Mode of ''Bust-A-Move 2, fought on Chack'n Island. It appears in the opening cutscene of the game, stealing the stars from the night sky by order of Drunk. ''Bubble Memories Monstas reappear in ''Bubble Memories as common enemies. Monstas have two colorations in this game; their original purple color scheme, and a new green variant with yellow eyes that will chase after the player instead of flying around aimlessly like their purple counterparts. The game features two Monsta bosses, a radically redesigned Super Monsta who only appears in the game's practice mode, and a large Monsta in an inner tube known as Swimmer Queen Monsta, who is the seventh boss in the game's story mode. Two giant Monstas also appear on Round 25, carrying the Yellow Potion. ''Bust-A-Move 4 A Monsta is a secret character in the console version of ''Bust-A-Move 4, unlocked alongside Stoner, Woolen, Packy, Madame Luna, and Drunk. ''Classic Bubble Bobble Monstas appear once again in ''Classic Bubble Bobble. The boss of the Wood Area, Grape, is a giant crowned Monsta. ''Bust-A-Move Millennium A Monsta appears as a playable character in ''Bust-A-Move Millennium, and is one of the few characters not encountered in Story Mode. ''Bubble Bobble: Old & New Monstas appear again in ''Bubble Bobble: Old & New, receiving a redesign along with the rest of the game's cast. They now resemble eels more than whales, and have green tongues. ''Puzzle Bobble Pocket A Monsta is a playable character in ''Puzzle Bobble Pocket, appearing alongside several other enemies from Bubble Bobble. The Monsta appearing in this game is colored white instead of purple, giving him a slight resemblance to a Skel-Monsta. ''Puzzle Bobble DS A Monsta is a playable character in ''Puzzle Bobble DS, alongside several other enemies from Bubble Bobble. ''Bubble Bobble Revolution Monstas appear once again in ''Bubble Bobble Revolution. The second boss, the Monsta Mech, is a robotic Monsta piloted by three of the enemies. ''Rainbow Islands Revolution Monstas appear on Bubble Island in ''Rainbow Islands Revolution, mirroring their appearance in the original Rainbow Islands, however, they no longer have the ability to fire out Skel-Monsta-shaped projectiles. ''Bust-A-Move Deluxe A Monsta is a playable character in ''Bust-A-Move Deluxe, and is one of the five characters that returned from Puzzle Bobble Pocket. ''Bubble Bobble Double Shot '']] Monstas appear yet again in ''Bubble Bobble Double Shot. The fifth bosses of the game are three giant Monstas, each with different colored eyes. The Bubble Dragon that matches the color of the Monsta's eyes is the only one that can trap that Monsta in a bubble. The three bubbles must be simultaneously popped at once in order to defeat the bosses. ''Space Bust-A-Move A Monsta appears in ''Space Bust-A-Move, running the game's shop. Monstas also appear in the Retro Bubble and Monster Bubble alternate bubble sets purchasable in the shop. ''Bubble Bobble Plus! Monstas return in Bubble Bobble Plus!. They act identically to their appearance in ''Bubble Bobble. ''Bust-A-Move Plus! A Monsta is the third opponent in the Vs. Mode of ''Bust-A-Move Plus!. ''Bust-A-Move Universe A Monsta is the fourth boss of ''Bust-A-Move Universe, guarding a red Bubble Dragon in the Cloud Ocean level. Other appearances ''Pop'n Pop A Monsta appears in ''Pop'n Pop as Bub, Bob, Bubby, and Bobby's helper. In the Arcade version, the Monsta is green, but in the console version, it receives a new sprite and is colored purple like previous depictions. Etymology Monsta's name comes from a corruption of the English word "monster". Trivia *Monstas seem to favor habitats with mushrooms in them, as shown in Bubble Bobble Revolution and Bubble Bobble Double Shot. Gallery Beluga CNP Art.png|''Chack'n Pop'' Beluga CNP End.png|''Chack'n Pop'' Beluga BB Art.png|''Bubble Bobble'' Beluga arcade.png|''Bubble Bobble'' Belugaps.png|''Parasol Stars'' Beluga BBP2.png|''Bubble Bobble Part 2'' Beluga BBJr.png|''Bubble Bobble Junior'' Beluga BS.png|''Bubble Symphony'' Bambelugawin.png|''Bust-A-Move'' Bambeluga.png|''Bust-A-Move'' Beluga BAM2 Big.png|''Bust-A-Move 2'' Beluga BAM2.png|''Bust-A-Move 2'' BM Beluga.png|''Bubble Memories'' Beluga Green BM.png|''Bubble Memories'' Monsta BAM4.png|''Bust-A-Move 4'' Monsta BAM4 Icon.png|''Bust-A-Move 4'' Monsta BAM4 Hiss.png|''Bust-A-Move 4'' Popn Pop Beluga.png|''Pop'n Pop'' Monsta Pop'n Pop AC.png|''Pop'n Pop'' Beluga Old & New.jpg|''Bubble Bobble: Old & New'' Beluga PBO.png|''Puzzle Bobble Online'' Beluga PBPocket.png|''Puzzle Bobble Pocket'' Beluga PBDS Sprite.png|''Puzzle Bobble DS'' Beluga BBR.png|''Bubble Bobble Revolution'' Beluga DX.png|''Bust-A-Move Deluxe'' Beluga BAMDX.png|''Bust-A-Move Deluxe'' Beluga BBDS.png|''Bubble Bobble Double Shot'' Bubble-bobble-wii-049.jpg|''Bubble Bobble Plus!'' Beluga Plus.png|''Bubble Bobble Plus!'' Avsi-monsta1.png|''Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders'' Avsi-monsta2.png|''Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders'' Category:Enemies Category:Playable characters